Website Evaluation System: Collaboratively Discovering what makes a Website Good Jon Dron, Richard Mitchell, Chris Boyne, Phil Siviter
CoFIND and Qualities n CoFIND Collaborative Filter In N Dimensions n Not just interested in whether things are good or bad, but in how they are good or bad n Qualities are the things which people value in resources (in this case, websites)
Qualities red in tooth and claw n Qualities compete for list position, based on frequency of use n Resources are displayed in order of ratings for selected qualities
The experiment n A group of 50 level 2 undergraduate students at the start of an HCI course n The students were given a set of 20 selected sites n They were encouraged to rate the sites using qualities n They were encouraged to add qualities
Results n Students added twelve new qualities: Slow, Boring, Confusing, Navigation, Orientation, Appropriate Links, Innovative, Association Member, Author Info, Fun, Artistic, informative n Most popular: informative and attractive
Conclusions n Simple good-bad ratings do not capture the richness of feelings and attitudes towards sites n Patterns of rating show distinct niches n Some sites not rated, suggesting pre- selection and the importance of a good title n Some surprises- what did Author info or Association member mean?